Section 176.100  Appointment and Reappointment of Notaries Public

a)         Every applicant for an initial appointment or reappointment as a notary public must present satisfactory evidence of the applicant’s identity as set forth in the Act at 5 ILCS 312/2-102.

b)         Before issuance of an appointment as a notary public or electronic notary public, the applicant for appointment must:

1)         execute the oath of office as set forth at 5 ILCS 312/2-104;

2)         submit a bond as set forth at 5 ILCS 312/2-105; and

3)         complete all application requirements found at 5 ILCS 312/2-102(a) and, if applying for an electronic notary public commission, at 5 ILCS 312/2-102(c).

c)         Upon a determination that an applicant meets all requirements of the Act and this Part, the Secretary of State will appoint or reappoint the applicant to the office of notary public or electronic notary public, as applicable, and issue a notary public or electronic notary public commission certificate.

d)         Reappointment

1)         A current notary public may apply for reappointment 60 days before the expiration of an existing commission.  The date of the new commission will be the date immediately after the expiration date of the current commission.

2)         To avoid any gaps between notary public or electronic notary public commissions, applications for a notary public should be filed at least 30 days before the expiration of the commission under which the notary public is acting.

e)         Any applicant can request the cancellation of an appointment and the cancellation will become effective upon receipt by the Secretary of State of the notice requesting cancellation of the appointment.

(Source:  Added at 47 Ill. Reg. 8640, effective June 5, 2023)